The Final Countdown (Blue Underground 4K UHD Review)

Is The Final Countdown Trash or Treasure?

Blu-ray Distributed By: Blue Underground / May 25, 2021

Trapped outside the boundaries of time and space – 102 aircraft… 6,000 men… all missing.

The time is now. The place is aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz, America’s mightiest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, a freak electrical storm engulfs the ship and triggers the impossible: The Nimitz is hurtled back in time to December 6, 1941, mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As the enemy fleet speeds towards Hawaii, the warship’s Captain (Kirk Douglas), a Defense Department expert (Martin Sheen), a maverick Air Wing Commander (James Farentino) and a desperate Senator in the Roosevelt administration (Charles Durning) must choose between the unthinkable. Do they allow the Japanese to complete their murderous invasion or launch a massive counter-strike that will forever change the course of history?

Katharine Ross and Ron O’Neal co-star in this spellbinding sci-fi action hit filmed on location aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz with the full participation of the U.S. Navy and the ship’s crew. Now Blue Underground is proud to present THE FINAL COUNTDOWN in a stunning new restoration, scanned in 4K 16-bit from the original 35mm camera negative, with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, for the ultimate in explosive home theater excitement!

Jimbo’s Take (3 / 5)

It took me three attempts to watch The Final Countdown from start to finish. The first time was eons ago as a kid. It was on TV and I grew bored and just abandoned ship. The second attempt was in the early days of Amazon Prime streaming. The wife, Bernadette, and I got about half way through, stopped to do something else, and never returned. But now Blue Underground has released The Final Countdown on glorious 4K UHD, and I’m glad to say we made it! Start to finish. Mission accomplished!

And Bernadette said it was “fine”. Gave it a shrug of the shoulders.

I understand her nonchalant attitude. In terms of the big picture story; What would be the ramifications of modern tools of war going back in time to stop the Pearl Harbor attack?, The Final Countdown is a marginal letdown. The movie offers a fascinating conundrum, but ultimately fails to deal with it. Questions are asked, but never answered. Moral quandaries are posed, but never faced.

So instead the movie leans on the dramatic heft of smaller stories. Kirk Douglas stars as the U.S.S. Nimitz Captain Matthew Yelland who must decide the fate of his crew. Martin Sheen co-stars as Defense Department analyst Warren Lasky. James Farentino is ace pilot and amateur Pearl Harbor historian Cdr. Richard Owens. All three men face life and death scenarios through smaller sub-plots, which allows the viewer to form just enough vested interest to care whether our characters live or die.

But the real stars of the movie is the U.S.S. Nimitz itself and The Jolly Rogers.

Producer Peter Douglas, son of Kirk Douglas, managed to secure an actual aircraft carrier and an air force fleet (The Jolly Rogers) to shoot The Final Countdown. Unlike modern movies, everything you see in The Final Countdown is real and practical. Every dangerous flight maneuver, every shot of the U.S.S. Nimitz at sea, every fly-by, every dangerous job on the flight deck… All real. And all amazingly captured on film.

The Tech Stuff (5 / 5)

What can I really say? Blue Underground crushed it with their release of Daughters of Darkness. They did it again with Vigilante. And now this 4k UHD/Blu-ray combo set is another technically perfect release. Aside from screening an actual 35mm print of The Final Countdown, I can’t conceive of a better visual representation of the movie.

And the audio is truly something to behold. My home theater is not yet equipped for Dolby Atmos. I haven’t made that splurge yet. But the 5.1 DTS track really impressed me, especially during the aerial combat scenes. F-14s roaring overhead, and soaring by… This may be the disc that ultimately costs me more in home audio upgrades.

English: Dolby Atomos; 5.1 DTS-HD; 2.0 DTS-HD
French: 2.0 DTS-HD
Subtitles: English SDH, Francais, Espanol
2.40:1
1980
102 Mins.
Rated PG
Region Code: ALL

Extras (4 / 5)

Jolly Roger this! Blue Underground assembles the usual collection of goodies for this release. The audio commentary, and (2) featurettes are all previously available in earlier releases. New to this release are the trailers in 4K, the CD soundtrack, and a collectible booklet.

Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Victor J. Kemper, hosted by David Gregory
Lloyd Kaufman Goes Hollywood – Interview with Associate Producer Lloyd Kaufman
Starring the Jolly Rogers – Interviews with The Jolly Rogers F-14 Fighter Squadron
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spots
Poster & Still Galleries
BONUS! THE FINAL COUNTDOWN Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD by John Scott
BONUS! Collectible Booklet featuring The Zero Pilot Journal

Trash or Treasure? Overall Recommendation

Between the smaller character stories and the amazing production value, The Final Countdown is acceptable escapist entertainment. But for the Bernadette’s of the world, who don’t get enough enjoyment from the technical achievements of jet-porn, some may find the larger plot lacking in drama and dull. No wonder it took us three times to finish! For sure, the filmmakers missed a golden opportunity to make The Final Countdown truly an unforgettable classic.

Regardless, Blue Underground has released a 4K UHD that’s very enticing to all collectors. An excellent film restoration and a bevy of extras make The Final Countdown a worthy edition to your movie shelf.

Treasure!